Date codes on ETL GR10x tubes...

[Nick]

So here's the thing: I'm rationalising my rather large nixie collection over the next few months.... I don't need lots of every nixie.

I'm starting with a stash of ETL GR10Gs in varying condition - one has a broken 7 internally, 3 others are "dark" to the point of ... just useable... another 10 are in "used but good to OK condition" and the rest are NIB.

They're a strange, early, tube, needing a Va of 250VDC and an Ra of only 10K for most digits, but 18K2 for the "1" and 14K7 for the "7", i.e. the 1 & 7 also have cathode resistors... They have no Hg doping, so the life of the tube under controlled circumstances is only 5,000 hours... Early stuff.

But they are a BEAUTIFUL tube... I mean, REALLY BEAUTIFUL (IMHO)...

The date codes on them are just two characters, e.g. "OJ" or "RC" etc. Range of ETL logos too...

Anyone have a decode table for these?

Thanks

Nick

[Robert]

Hi

What would the cost be per tube, used or NIB?

Thanks

Rob

On 30 May 2023, at 17:40, 'Nick' via neonixie-l <neoni...@googlegroups.com> wrote:

So here's the thing: I'm rationalising my rather large nixie collection over the next few months.... I don't need lots of every nixie.

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[Nick]

Thanks for asking, but I really don't know yet. There's a HUGE number of tubes to go through (many 1000s). A few of the exotica have been sold to other collectors, but there is a set of 6 matched GR114/CD47s (will sell only as a set) amongst the stuff in the store, plus many other rare tubes.

I'll start doing auctions in a few months and will provide early warning here. Some of the stuff is extremely rare, including F9020, NEO-5000M, NEO-8000, loads of NIMOs, Pandicons, Pixies, Panaplex, Alphanumeric tubes etc.

[Jasper nagle]

good to hear you are passing you collection on, im a newish collector so you bet i'm going to be bidding on them auctions 

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[gregebert]

>  but there is a set of 6 matched GR114/CD47s (will sell only as a set) 

> loads of NIMOs

Well, that's going to be the auction of the century. 

[Paul Andrews]

After 1957 ETL was owned by Mullard. The date codes for Mullard (Philips) tubes are described here. It looks most likely that the first digit is the year number, the second letter is the month. The one I have is labelled 0B, which I would read as February 1960. Its a bit of a mess though.

[Jon]

I can help, Nick - will PM you. Long-timers here will remember that almost 15 years ago now I did a lot of work on the ETL date code. Dekatrons were my focus, but it's the same code used on all ETL tubes, including these lovely nixies.

Jon.

[Jon]

Paul, would you mind sharing the basis for your comment about the post-1957 Mullard/ETL connection? I've done a lot of work on ETL history (visited what's left of their archives, talked to employees etc) and this is news to me.

Thanks,

Jon.

[Dekatron42]

It does look like Paul got his information from here: https://www.radiomuseum.org/dsp_hersteller_detail.cfm?company_id=9901

/Martin

[Jon]

Ah, that's the other ETL! Electronic Tubes Ltd of High Wycombe as opposed to Ericsson Telephones Ltd of Beeston. It's the Ericsson ETL which makes the nixies, dekatrons etc.

Thanks Martin!

Jon.

[Paul Andrews]

Heh. Live and learn!